BUZZ: Barnes and Noble Expands Nook into Print on Demand

"Expands?" That's a stretch. 
"Limps?" That's closer. 
"Lamely attempts to worm its way into print." Ah, Perfect!

There is a lot of buzz out there with Barnes and Noble's announcement that they are expanding Nook's services into the print on demand arena.  In my opinion, and a lot of other publishing experts too, they have never really gotten ebooks right yet, so I'm not sure this will be all that useful. Unconfirmed rumors are that Nook has employed the services of Author Solutions to provide these services, but no formal announcement by either party admits their involvement. The packages and language used by the new Nook site do resemble that of many of the Author Solutions companies.

The services outlined on their new site come down to printing services. Yes, there are illustration services at $275 to $360 each. Editorial services are offered with a required $399 Editorial Assessment, and then from 3.7 cents a word up to 8.1 cents per word. (Is that # of words in or out? Dunno.) Way above current market prices I find. Oh, and yes, there are hardcover options for printing -- but again, way above market prices elsewhere.

There is no distribution offered, The books will not be in the Barnes and Noble stores, nor any other store for that matter.  From their own FAQ:

The NOOK Press print platform program is for you to print books for your personal use, and does not include selling those books through Barnes & Noble stores or BN.com. You may sell the books you print on your own, however.

And printing prices? Through the roof. While the simplicity of the site is appealing, and the instructions offered for book layout are very comprehensive, the costs of printing are some of the most expensive I have ever seen. I ran six sets of specs that we currently publish, and only four were even offered. Those four were from 20% to 70% higher than my current prices elsewhere! Orders can be placed for only 125 books at a time -- and Nook isn't sharing the shipping costs where I can find them, so who knows where that will put you.

Will Nook's new services be a hit? I don't see that happening. They are not competition for the likes of CreateSpace or Lightning Source's Ingram Spark because there is no option for any help with distribution. This whole thing is set up as a bad contender against maybe Blurb -- but Blurb is certainly my choice if I need a few high quality print books for personal use. At least they have paper choices. If Nook is using the same output services as Author Solutions, no thanks -- while the prices compare to Blurb, there is no way the quality will.

I certainly hope that the simplicity of their site doesn't fool newbie authors into spending thousands of dollars on this toe in the water attempt by Nook to expand into print. It's simple for a reason -- it doesn't offer much.

Lame.

Don't Buy a Pet Fish and Expect it to Act Like a Dog

Chew on This...

The publishing industry changes pretty much on a daily basis. The opportunities for independent authors have never been greater, and the barriers to entry have virtually disappeared. It's just not that hard to publish a book these days -- however, if you plan on being successful, you have to think of it as a business. The good news is that it's easy to get your book out there; the bad news is that a lot of poorly conceived, poorly funded, and poorly edited books also make their way "out there" in droves. The really good news here is that there are people to help you understand the business and your options and what you are getting into. (Hey, btw, we can help you with all that stuff!)  Do your research (check behind their ears, look at their teeth, do a sniff test on Google).

Lots of Publishing Species From Which to Choose...
The new terms in publishing are coming fast and hard, and it's important to understand what they mean to you. I'm not going to give you a glossary of terms here, but suffice it to say, you need to understand the pros and cons of each publishing option.  Don't sign anything until you really, really understand what everything means. Several publishing options are explained and expanded upon throughout this blog.

Who Let the Dogs Out?
Once you choose your publishing breed, don't change your mind and decide it should be doing something instead because some friend told you "You should do ______." Unless they are truly an expert, this is bad advice 99% of the time. Use the best features available from the method you choose and don't expect your method to do new tricks for which it is not set up.

Every day, I hear people who have chosen to publish through a print-on-demand company wonder why their book is not on the shelves of the bookstore. It can be a wise choice for many authors, but knowing your realistic objectives will be your guide. Without clear-cut, realistic, educated objectives, you could be caught chasing your tail.
On the other hand, every month, I meet at least one author who published their book with the fabulous intention of selling it in the back of the room after a speaking engagement. Good plan. A few weeks into the book's life, a friend walks up to the author and says "I went to the bookstore and they said they don't have the book. I want to buy it there." Of course the unspoken message the author hears is "What, isn't your book good enough for bookstores to carry it?" I tell those authors to say "No, bookstores aren't right for my book; however, I take cash, checks and all major credit cards. I'll run out to the car and get you one. I'll even sign it for you!" 

The Tail End of It All...
Making your book available through as many options as possible certainly helps your customer make the decision to purchase your book. Don't buy into claims that your book will be on the shelves of every bookstore, because it won't. (And you don't want it there!) Being available to order at those places is good, however! There are 100,000 books in a pretty big bookstore these days. There are a million new books published each year, and some 30,000,000 titles currently in print, maybe bazillions more. Those aren't very good odds. My final thought is to help you remember that bookstores aren't your target end consumer -- readers are!

Know your plan and stick with it for success!

Self Publishing Contracts - What's the story?

When it comes to publishing contracts, be careful before you jump in with a self publishing company. Read any and all contracts and know what you are signing and who you are dealing with. I have been watching as new consultants sprout up everywhere, with people who have done one book -- their own -- and then suddenly they are doling out publishing advice. I've also seen several people who have been laid off or fired from the traditional publishing world, where they performed one part of publishing, who are now opening up their own consulting firms. So dangerous for you! They often don't understand the whole-picture hurdles and, conversely, the special opportunities in the self publishing world.

If you are considering working with a self publishing company, read the contract, look at the books they have already done, request a detailed proposal or scope of work; also check references. If any vendor holds any rights to any aspect of your book, question it and make darn sure you understand the answer! Don't settle for commonly found lines like "You own 100% of the rights to your work."  You want to know who owns the layout and design of the book when it's done.  That's a good place to start questioning. 

CAUTION:  A check or payment is an implied contract. If you don't sign a specific contract, but you gave them a check or paid them anything, you now have a contract with them anyway. One additional note regarding contracts, don't rely on your regular attorney to know what the terminology means either...you need an intellectual property lawyer (and you want to make sure you know what the terms mean before you talk to them, too.)

Protect yourself by arming yourself with lots of information -- and make sure you really UNDERSTAND everything.

Self Publishing Resources -- From Those Who Practice What They Preach

Purchase and READ these books while you are writing yours:

John Kremer – 1001 Ways to Market Your Books
Dan Poynter – The Self Publishing Manual
Judith Applebaum – How to Get Happily Published
Brian Jud – Beyond the Bookstore
Susan Friedman – Riches in Niches

If you are using a “Self Publishing” or “Print on Demand” company such as Author Solutions, LuLu, BookHouse, or any number of others, purchase this book:
Mark Levine – The Fine Print of Self Publishing for an unbiased comparison of all of these companies and how to choose one.